Method for recovery and reuse of quartz containers

Claim 1

THE METHOD OF PREVENTING THE DESTRUCTION OF A QUARTZ CONTAINER USED IN MELTING SILICON IN WHICH SOME OF SAID SILICON NORMALLY ADHERES TO THE CONTAINER AFTER RESOLIDIFICATION CAUSING DESTRUCTION OF SAID CONTAINER, SAID METHOD COMPRISING, MELTING A MASS OF SILICON WITHIN A QUARTZ CONTAINER HAVING AN APERTURE THEREIN AT A POINT NORMALLY BELOW THE SURFACE OF SAID MOLTEN SILICON, SAID APERTURE BEING OF SUFFICIENTLY SMALL SIZE TO PREVENT DISCHARGE OF MOLTEN SILICON THRETHROUGH BY GRAVITATION, REMOVING A PORTION OF SAID MASS OF SILICON FROM SAID CONTAINER BY LOWERING A SEED CRYSTAL TO CONTACT THE UPPERMOST PORTON OF SAID MOLTEN SILICON AND THEN PULLING SAID SEED CRYATAL FROM SAID MOLTEN SILICON AT A PREDETERMINED SPEED AND ROTATION WITH SOME OF SAID MOLTEN SILICON ATTACHING TO SAID SEED CRYSTAL TO PRODUCE A SINGLE CRYSTAL OF SILICON BY REMOVING A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF SAID MOLTEN SILICON FROM SAID QUARTZ CONTAINER AND THEN APPLYING A PRESSURE ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE REMAINING MOLTEN SILICON TO OVERCOME THE NORMAL SURFACE TENSION EXISTING BETWEEN SAID REMAINING MOLTEN SILICON AND THE PORTION OF THE CONTAINER SURROUNDING SAID APERTURE FOR A PREDETERMINED PERIOD OF TIME UNTIL ALL OF SAID REMAINING MOLTEN SILICON HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM SAID CONTAINER THROUGH SAID APERTURE, WHEREBY SAID QUARTZ CONTAINER IS RENDERED REUSEABLE AFTER COOLING.

Claim 2

THE METHOD OF PREVENTING THE DESTRUCTION OF A QUARTZ CONTAINER USED IN MELTING SILICON IN WHICH SOME OF SAID SILICON NORMALLY ADHERES TO THE CONTAINER AFTER RESOLIDIFICATION CAUSING DESTRUCTION OF SAID CONTAINER, SAID METHOD COMPRISING, MELTING A MASS OF SILICON WITHIN A QUARTZ CONTAINER HAVING AN APERTURE THEREIN AT A POINT NORMALLY BELOW THE SURFACE OF SAID MOLTEN SILICON, SAID APERTURE BEING OF SUFFICIENTLY SMALL SIZE TO PREVENT DISCHARGE OF MOLTEN SILICON THRETHROUGH BY GRAVITATION, REMOVING A PORTION OF SAID MASS OF SILICON FROM SAID CONTAINER BY LOWERING A SEED CRYSTAL TO CONTACT THE UPPERMOST PORTON OF SAID MOLTEN SILICON AND THEN PULLING SAID SEED CRYATAL FROM SAID MOLTEN SILICON AT A PREDETERMINED SPEED AND ROTATION WITH SOME OF SAID MOLTEN SILICON ATTACHING TO SAID SEED CRYSTAL TO PRODUCE A SINGLE CRYSTAL OF SILICON BY REMOVING A PREDETERMINED AMOUNT OF SAID MOLTEN SILICON FROM SAID QUARTZ CONTAINER AND THEN APPLYING A PRESSURE ABOVE THE SURFACE OF THE REMAINING MOLTEN SILICON TO OVERCOME THE NORMAL SURFACE TENSION EXISTING BETWEEN SAID REMAINING MOLTEN SILICON AND THE PORTION OF THE CONTAINER SURROUNDING SAID APERTURE FOR A PREDETERMINED PERIOD OF TIME UNTIL ALL OF SAID REMAINING MOLTEN SILICON HAS BEEN REMOVED FROM SAID CONTAINER THROUGH SAID APERTURE, WHEREBY SAID QUARTZ CONTAINER IS RENDERED REUSEABLE AFTER COOLING.